Chapter 849: line with translation of chapter title

Chen Wuji

Li Yu nodded, "The Prince's terms are already weaker than those of the aristocratic families; Cao Lin, that cautious, two-faced fellow, will surely hesitate."

"Then let's add fuel to the fire!" the Snake Staff elder said, striking his snake-headed cane, "What we will use this time is precisely his two-facedness; if we don't hold that knife in our hands, success will be hard."

Li Yu looked somewhat bewildered, "What we could bring out has already been given; what else can we give him?"

Cao Lin

Li Yu started in surprise, "Is the Prince going to step onto the stage?"

The Snake Staff elder nodded, "Now it's impossible not to step onto the stage; Yan Yan has taken control of the Palace City guards, torn off the last mask, and launched a Palace Coup against the Emperor. If the Prince doesn't stand up now, when could he wait? As a senior member of the imperial clan, it is his duty to uphold the Emperor's dignity."

Snake Staff Weng

Prince

"The world is really going to fall into chaos; if we could grant titles, I'm confident I could take down Cao Lin." Li Yu said, "Liu Yan is a dead man; now only Gao Yu remains. This fellow… smooth yet principled, is hard to handle."

"If he's hard to handle, just send him on his way!" the Snake Staff elder said solemnly.

"With the Uyghur People's help, plus Cao Lin's forces, taking him down is no problem. Besides, we also need our own forces; otherwise, relying solely on Cao Lin, even if we two stand firm in Yan Zhou, it's still unclear who will call the shots."

Li Yu nodded, "Indeed, with just the forces I have at hand, it's far from enough to succeed."

The Snake Staff elder glanced at his old friend, "Those few troops you have… just give it up; they've already been infiltrated like a sieve. Once we root out those mice, how many will be left?"

Li Yu's face flushed with embarrassment as he recalled the awkward scene from the recent meeting.

Qiang People

He truly hadn't expected that those confidants he had placed high hopes in had already been bribed by Yan Yan.

Uyghur People

Knife

"It's not like there's no way!" Li Yu gave himself an excuse, "If I show anything, Yan Yan and Ruan Yuchang wouldn't trust me; even though I know my command is full of spies, I still have to let them keep breeding."

"No matter, those people won't last a few days; I've already planted people inside. When we move, those mice will all die—I'll avenge you!" the Snake Staff elder laughed heartily.

Seeing his old friend's expression, as if he had eaten a dead mouse, he felt very pleased.

His Majesty

Encountering something this amusing, one simply cannot miss it.

Li Yu rolled his eyes, "You plant people in my command without even saying hello? I've realized you all treat me as if I were dead, right?"

Lofty Righteousness Prefecture

"……"

Li Yu irritably waved his hand, "Stop beating around the bush, what should we do next? Speak up!"

Li Yu didn't want to continue chatting with that old thing.

"Didn't I already tell you? Why are you still asking? Have you even been listening to me?" the Snake Staff Elder said cheerfully, his tone full of glee.

Li Yu furrowed his brows fiercely, "I'm hard of hearing! Say it again!"

"All right, all right, say it again." the Snake Staff Elder gripped his cane with both hands, laughing loudly, "Liu Yan is surely doomed; this kind of trash, upon meeting Chen Wuji, will have no chance of survival, no need to consider him further."

After the Uyghur People arrive, just go talk to Cao Lin and Gao Yu. If you can talk it out, talk; if not, send them on their way and absorb their troops.

Li Yu blinked, "You didn't even say just now that Cao Lin should be dealt with as well?"

"I said he might defect, but who can guarantee this will succeed?" the Snake Staff Elder retorted, "If it doesn't succeed, then we can only send him on his way; are you really going to let him stay here?"

Li Yu's face grew slightly grim, "Cao Lin's troops aren't easy to feed."

"If they're hard to feed, just kill a batch; training troops is your business, I won't do this." the Snake Staff Elder brushed it off simply, "I only help you clear the road ahead; the rest, don't bother me."

"……"

In the west of Chongyi Prefecture, there is a small settlement called Ancient Wood Qiang.

At that moment, in the settlement of Ancient Wood Qiang, Chen Wuji was enthusiastically chatting while holding an old man's hand.

"Ten-plus Elder, you should let go of your prejudice against me; this is a very bad thing. To be honest, I don't want to carry out a massacre, which harms virtue." Chen Wuji said.

"You shouldn't hold such great hostility toward me just because of hearsay. Of course, I have indeed killed many Qiang People and erected several victory monuments, but that is not my intention."

"You Qiang People used to be formidable—when in a good mood you'd raid my Da Yu and slaughter a few villages; when in a bad mood you'd also raid my Da Yu and slaughter a few villages; some Qiang People even took my Da Yu's populace as rations. You've committed such atrocities; if I don't repay tooth for tooth, blood for blood, the people's hearts will not be at peace!"

"You are the Elder of Ancient Wood Qiang; you should understand what I mean by this, right?"

Though over fifty, the Ten-plus Elder, who looked in very good health, stared at Chen Wuji without expression, "General Chen, I can indeed understand what you're saying. I've also heard a bit about how some settlements have treated Da Yu's actions; in warfare, repaying tooth for tooth is appropriate."

"But, I truly cannot agree to your conditions; you might as well just kill me!"

Chen Wuji shook his head, "You old fool, I think you're becoming a bit senile. Am I negotiating terms with you? Didn't you realize I'm actually giving you orders?"

"Forget it, let me sum it up: if you can't meet my conditions, I'll exterminate your clan and dig up your graves!"

The Ten-plus Elder's expression stiffened abruptly, "You... you how could..."

"'Shut up!' Chen Wuji snapped to his feet."

"After saying all this, you actually thought I came to negotiate terms with you? Do you think my army outside is just for show?"

"If you pull off those few things I mentioned, I'll spare your lives; if not, I'll exterminate your clan! I'm so furious, wasting all this talk for nothing—you're barely fifty and already acting senile!"

The Ten-plus Elder was utterly dumbfounded for a moment, but then he finally understood.

Just now, he indeed thought Chen Wuji wanted to have a proper talk with him.